I had the terrible job of being a judge at a quarterfinal competition. Actually, it was terrible. Trying to pick a winner between two talented chefs was hard! Thankfully, my tastebuds took over, and I really didn't know who I was voting for. Everyone in the audience votes without knowing who made the dish.

I really liked the founder's desciption of the event. Jimmy Crippen said it was basically like March Madness. There are 64 chefs statewide who start in the competition. There are four regions. We are "Fire on the Dock." (The Blowing Rock area is "Fire on the Rock", the Greensboro-area is "Fire in the Triad", and the Raleigh-area is "Fire in the Triangle.")

Ultimately, there will be a grand showdown. But that won't be until the fall.

I judged the competition between Persimmons Restaurant in New Bern and Yosake in Wilmington. The secret ingredients were poulet rouge fermier du piedmont and The Perfect Puree of Napa Valley. Say what? {poo-lay rooj faremyay do pee moan}Basically poulet rouge is chicken, but it has darker meat, thinner skin and a tougher texture. The organic poulet rouge came from Ashley Farms in Winston-Salem.For all of you who like to take pictures of their food (I do, too...) here ya go:

If you really want to know, the best dish was the last one - the dessert. I mean, it was out of this world, and I don't even like sweets!